While the NHL has not officially confirmed that the Arizona Coyotes are relocating to Salt Lake City, it appears reported soon-to-be owner Ryan Smith has gone ahead and done so anyway.
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi shared quotes from Smith on social media.
“There’s no secret,” said Smith, speaking at a sports business conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday. “Not everything on the internet is true but in this case it’s true.”
Smith, who also owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, is reportedly purchasing the team from the NHL for $1.2 billion.
“I have incredible faith in the people of Utah,” he added. “We show up. It’ll be packed. I’m excited about that and showing that. There’s so much work to do from the practice facility on down to everything else but we’ll get it done.”
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during Saturday Headlines on Hockey Night in Canada that the league hopes to announce the transaction later this week.
“The way it sounds right now, I think there’s a real desire to announce this Thursday or Friday,” Friedman said. “But a desire and the ability to do it are two different things. The next few days will be critical to either closing it or getting everybody into a position where they’re comfortable enough to do it and legally protected enough to do it even if it’s not fully closed.”
Meanwhile, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and general manager Bill Armstrong have not publicly commented on the relocation or sale.
“There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about the future of the Arizona Coyotes,” Meruelo said in the statement released Saturday by the team. “We are focused on a myriad of issues that are unresolved, and therefore we are unable to make any official public comments at this time.”
